Reviews by jackndan:

Stoudt's Fest: A marzan from Stoudts, poured out of a thwelve ounce bottle. Not much head, despite a fairly vigorous pour. Nice deep tan/amber color. Fairly clear, with just a bit of haze. The aroma is very strong, smoky caramel aroma. The taste is exceptional for a marzan, very flavorful, very refreshing. Bright tastes, nicely rolling caramel, bready, rye malt tastes, not much aftertaste due to a nice bite of the hops. Crisp and sparkling carbonation. Very nice. (469 characters)

More User Reviews:

Pours a deep copper with a nice looking rocky head,the aroma is slightly sweet and a little soapy.I taste a real hop presence in this beer along with some toasted malt not as sweet as some othe fest beers wich is ok with me,wow I can really get a grassy hop taste in the finish here.An easy drinker some complexity to this beer make it a beer to seek out in my opinion. (369 characters)

Stoudts Fest (08) pours a light translucent brown with no head retention into a Celebrator glass.

Aroma is all up front malts. Taste is rich and malty with some spiciness and immediate dryness. Mouthfeel is smooth and typically light. Finishes really dry.

Carol Stoudt's strong suit is lagers (she has told me so) but the brewery makes less of them due to the popularity of most ales. This beer definitely showcases how good the brewery's traditional lagers can be. A great prost! to my first Oktoberfest of the season. (522 characters)

Got this one from the Brewery at the last fest, one of the soon to be forgotten Big Bottles...

Poured with not too much head, left only a little bit of a slight, white ring on the edge... tiny bubbles. Dark amber, almost a light rootbeery colored... nice.

Scents of dry hay. Sweet malt.

Teensiest of a bit from the carbination and flavors, but nice and mild altogether. Leaves alot of flavors in your mouth. Easy drinking and just enough taste to not be boring, but not enough to be heavy or overpowering. Good one overall. (535 characters)

Typical tawny hue, a fine head and great clarity. Malty and grainy aroma a bit toasted. Semi-dry malty palate, the maltiness focuses on toasted grain and a hint of caramel. The sufficient hop bitterness lays down a good balancing act. Went very well with the sausage that was cooked in beer and butter. (327 characters)

12 oz bottle contract brewed by Frederick Brewing in Maryland. Pours a clear, burnished copper amber with a two finger beige head that quickly drops into rings of lacing. Aroma is sweet caramel with a fruitiness that is either apples or oranges. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Taste is sweet caramel with a nice citrus hop balance. Seems to taste a bit watery about hallfway through. A solid Marzen style amber lager that would make a fine session brew. (476 characters)

Poured into a pint glass,a creamy off white head,slight lacing on the sides of the glass.The head dissipated quickly,left a thin layer of foam through the beer.
The color was a medium light copper with a reddish hue.
A clean toasty,slight malt smell.not real aromamatic.
A nutty,bisquity.toasty with a very slight hint of a burnt flavor.a medium mouthfeel,not a lot of carbination,a little on the thin side.
A dry,clean finish with a little tartness near the end.
Very drinkable,just a little lacking in the flavor department.Overall not a bad beer. It seemed to me the last time I drank this beer it was a bit better (622 characters)

Tastes like a ofest should. Very caramel and nutty. Carbonation is moderate with mouthfeel being solid. Just a wee bit of a bitter hop twinge at the end but it doesn't distract from this very nice brew. (342 characters)

This Stoudt's Fest beer was contract brewed by Frederick Brewing Company, which took me by suprise. Not a problem because they also make quality beer themselves and they contract brew for Crooked River. The appearance is a slight hazy amber brown, with a full frothing white head to go with it. It is leaving little lace as the glass is emptying. The first thing that jumps out at me about this beer is the wonderful caramel malt in the aroma. The hop character is very slight, but completely perfect for the contrast of the sweet smell. Smells like sweet barley malt, with a sweet full flavor of nutty grain to complement eachother. An excellent medium bodied beer with in the style, that I find this one to be very well-balanced, incredibly drinkable, and reasonbly priced. (775 characters)

Pours a dark amber with a quickly dissipating head. Nose is of caramel and malt. Taste is of toasted malt, grain and biscuit. Drys out of bit with the hop bitterness. Not as thick as other Fest beers I've tried. A bit light in the body. Not as impressive as other beers in the Stoudt line. (289 characters)

Another stellar brew from Stoudts. There mazen poured to a nice amber orangish color with a fluffy head. I seemed to detect some vanilla and malt aroma. The taste was very good but it to me it lacked something. Maybe there wasn't enough balance with the malt and hops. Overall a great beer one worthy of a try or two. (317 characters)

A vibrant combination of rich Munich/Vienna malts and spicy/floral hops drives this satisfying and equisitely drinkable lager. It's clear copper body reveals ruby-orange and golden highlights beneath a creamy head of ivory foam that holds well and leaves some nice spots of lace about the glass. The nose is malty and toasty with just a hint of well-integrated hops. In the mouth it's lightly tingly and then creamy across the palate with a medium body and restrained, fine-bubbled carbonation. The malt is lightly toasty, and subtly "juicy"; and it's spicy hop flavor works in unison with its restrained but firm hop bitterness to balance it perfectly. This is a very well-brewed, clean, and exceptionally well-balanced lager that never fails to satisfy and really deserves more attention than it gets. (803 characters)

Pours a nice golden color (amazingly clear) with a thick, frothy white head that retains well...a real looker. The aroma has some fresh hay and grassy notes upfront, along with some caramel and toffee, toasted bread, and a hint of noble hops. The flavor also has fresh hay and grass upfront, followed by a caramel and toffee malt sweetness, floral and grassy noble hops, toasted bread, and a little alcohol. The mouthfeel is medium and drinkability is good but not gread. Solid but not spectacular octoberfest from Stoudts. (523 characters)

Pours a crystal clear pale copper color with a small tight white head that settles into a sparse cap. The aroma is sweet and a touch fruity. Caramel malt mixed with a fresh juicy hop. Not strong but nice. The taste is of caramel malt with an earthy tea like hop bitterness, hints of lemon and metal. Reminds me more of an APA than marzen. Light to moderate body with fizzy carbonation, good mix of sweet malt and bitter hops makes this easy to drink. A refreshing brew with no off putting flavors though it does seem a bit off style. (555 characters)

Pours a golden orange, decent creamy head with decent retention. Smells of earthy and spicy hops, nice caramel maltiness. Tastes much the same, decent maltiness that is countered by a fairly strong herbal bitterness backbone. Some soft fruity sweetness complements the maltiness nicely, toasted grain present as well. Finishes very dry with some more bitterness and earthiness.

A really nice Oktoberfest, decent maltiness with a very pronounced hoppiness. Very similar to Victory's festbier, probably some of the best American interpretations. (544 characters)

Well its consistent good in all areas. It's a nice Fets style that could use a little more malt and some darker roasting, leading to the lack of some better flavor. This is a refreshing beer that can be drank with just about any food, as it is not overpowering either in taste or in alcohol. (291 characters)